USPS letter carrier Glenn Bass, right, talks about the events that led to him, Indiana State Police Trooper Aryaun Smith, middle, and IPS Sgt. Josh Watson, left, saving the life of an elderly man along Bass' mail route. The three spoke of the incident at the Indiana State Police Post on E 21st Street on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)Buy Photo

A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, Bass has been working the same east-side route for three years and over that time has gotten to know some of his customers pretty well.

"The last route I was on, I was on for 16 years. I mean, you see kids grow up and have families," Bass said. "You develop relationships, even though they’re 15, 30 seconds at a time, but it’s every day."

One resident, a man in his late 60s, would receive packages once or twice a month. He would meet Bass at the door, they would chat — the man is a cigar enthusiast, Bass said — and Bass would never have to leave a package on the doorstep.

Until Sept. 19. When Bass arrived with a package, the man wasn't at the door. That struck Bass as odd. Thinking the man could have been out on an errand, Bass left the package and continued on his route.

When he returned the next day, the package hadn't moved. Bass noticed the mail in the mailbox had gone untouched for several days.

"With this customer, that’s not a commonplace thing for him," Bass said. "One day of mail, maybe, but to have three or four days of mail in there struck me as odd."

Bass alerted Aryaun Smith, an Indiana State Police trooper who also lives on his route.

The pair went to the house, where Bass showed her the uncollected package and mail. Unable to make contact with anyone inside, Smith went to her post and returned with Sgt. Josh Watson, who determined they should force their way into the home.

Smith and Watson followed muffled sounds to a back bedroom, where they found the man on the floor, unable to move.

"He thought he was gone. He thought he was dead," Smith said. "He was in and out, so he would talk to us for a few minutes, and then he wouldn’t talk to us at all."

With nearly 90-degree temperatures outside, Smith said the interior of the home had become very warm. His condition was serious.

"Without food and water, someone can only go so long," she said.

The man, whose name has not yet been released, was taken to an area hospital, where he remains.

Smith said the world needs more people like Bass. She gave him a challenge coin, a trooper's token of gratitude, and an ISP patch to thank him for his good work.

"He’s the eyes and ears of the community, and doing his route, he knows what should be going on and how people will interact with other people and how everyone’s daily life goes," she said. "But if it weren’t for him coming to me, I don’t think we would have found the victim in time."

Smith said she spends most of her time on the road patrolling the east side of Marion County, so conducting a welfare check at a home isn't typical. But it's not out of the question — her job is to protect and serve the community, whatever that requires.

"I don’t do it every day all day, but if someone like Glenn comes up to me and says, 'Hey, I need your help,' then by all means, I’m gonna do it,' Smith said. "And I’d do it again."